Shoe x

ABSTRACT

An article of footwear and method of using the article of footwear is disclosed so a person can temporarily affix a resistance band, exercise tube or other elastic cord (hereinafter, “band”) to the bottom of their article of footwear through retaining channels and use the band in their exercise routine. The channel design is such that the band can be easily inserted, positioned for the exercise routine, and removed while at the same time be secure enough such that while the band is inserted, it does not come off the article of footwear during exercise.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser.No. 61/785,205 filed Mar. 14, 2013 entitled Shoe X, which isincorporated by reference herein.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to exercise apparel, and more particularly, to ashoe and shoe sole that will receive one or multiple band(s) such thatsomeone performing exercises with the bands will be able to exercisemore effectively and safely.

2. Description of the Related Art

Elastic bands have been shown to be an effective means of resistancetraining. These bands are frequently incorporated into the exerciseroutine by the individual stepping on the band (to anchor it or provideda fixed point for the band) and then pulling against the band in variousranges of motion. If the individual's foot loses partial contact withthe floor for any reason then the band, especially when the band hasincreased tension, is at risk of dislodging from under the foot andretracting in a way that could cause damage or injury to the individualor those around them. Active individuals need to be able to use bandswith reduced risk of injury, and the present invention satisfies thatneed.

Numerous shoes and tread patterns exist that allow a band to be receivedinto the grooved pattern, but all of these existing patterns are at anobtuse angle where it is wider at the bottom and narrows towards the topas can be depicted by an inverted “V,” or A, and do not hold a band inplace or prevent it from falling out by gravity alone or other minimalforce.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide shoes an individualcan use in their daily activities but primarily the tread of said shoewill serve as a safety, retaining channel/groove when exercising withbands with the feet in a static, fixed position.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a shoe treaddesign that will serve as a safety, retaining channel when exercisingwith bands with the feet in a dynamic range of motion and not fixed tothe ground or solid surface.

The shoe tread or base pattern differs from what exists in themarketplace today in both purpose and function as well as in form anddesign in that the grooved pattern comprises one or more arcuate orsimilarly-shaped channels of the same or varying size. The presentinvention will allow users to exercise with the resistance band in thechannels without worrying about the band falling out.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TILE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a lateral side elevation view of an article of footwear havinga shoe tread in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a lateral side view of a user wearing an article of footwearhaving a shoe tread in accordance with the present invention using aresistance band.

FIG. 3 is a medial view of the underside of the invention in use withresistance bands inserted in the channels.

FIG. 4 is a medial side elevation view of an article of footwear havinga shoe tread in accordance with the present invention using threeresistance bands of different sizes.

FIG. 5 is a closer medial side elevation view of an article of footwearhaving a shoe tread in accordance with the present invention showingchannels of different sizes.

FIG. 6 is a top oblique view of an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention having two channels and showing the sole structure separatefrom an article of footwear showing a band within one channel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 depicts a side view of a preferred embodiment of a shoe sole 10having the features of the present invention. The shoe sole 10 comprisesat least one channel 1. The shoe sole 10 may be made from any suitablystrong, yet flexible, material such as natural or synthetic rubber or apolymer foam material. Additionally, the channels 1 may be made of thesame material as the rest of the shoe sole 10, or the channels 1 may beconstructed of a different, stronger material than the rest of the shoesole 10.

Each channel 1 is tube shaped having an interior surface 2, channelopening 3, and two side openings 17, 18. The channel 1 runsperpendicular to the length of the shoe sole 10, extendinglongitudinally between a medial side opening 17 (shown in FIG. 2 onuser's left shoe) and a lateral side opening 18 (shown in FIG. 2 onuser's right shoe). In the preferred embodiment, the resistance band 20exits the channel 1 through both the medial side opening 17 and lateralside opening 18. The channel opening 3 is narrower than the innerdiameter 5 of the channel 1 and opens to the bottom surface 6. When theshoe sole 10 is placed on the ground and viewed from the side, thechannel surface 2, along with the bottom surface 6, form a flange 4.This combination, as viewed from the side resembles the Greek capitalletter “Omega,” depicted by the symbol Ω.

Other structures of channels 1 can be utilized so long as flanges 4 areformed on the shoe sole 10. The purpose of the tubular channel 1 withflange 4 is to secure the band 20 within the channel 1 and not allow theband 20 to fall out as the user moves his or her feet off the ground.The tubular channel 1 allows the band 20 to move laterally within thechannel 1 to allow the user to position the band 20 according to wherethe band 20 is optimally positioned for the user's desired exercise.

Referring now to FIG. 2, in the preferred embodiment the channels 1 arelocated approximately in the center of the shoe sole 10 and are orientedperpendicular to the length of the shoe sole 10. Placement in thislocation generally corresponds to the narrowest portion of the shoe sole10 so that traction is not substantially interfered with in the broaderportions of the shoe sole 10. Other locations of the channel 1 arecontemplated, such as near the toe or the heel of the shoe sole 10, butthe placement of the channels 1 is not limited to such locations. Thechannel 1 is not required to have parallel edges so long as the flanges4 keeping the band 20 secured in the channel 1 are located on the bottomsurface 6 of the shoe sole 10.

As the band 20 is used, the elongated band 20 has a smallercircumference than a band 20 at rest. This elongation allows the band 20to more easily pass through the channel opening 3, past the flange 4 andinto the retaining channel 1, at which time it will be free to expand.The size and shape of the arcuate or similarly shaped channel 1 allowsretention of the band whether at rest or when elongated during the rangeof motion of both the band 20 and the user's foot. Alternatively, a usermay push the band 20 into the channel 1 due to the pliability of theband 20.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the medial side 7 of the shoe and the lateralside 8 of the shoe are both correlative to the medial and lateral sidesof the user's respective feet. In this view, there are three resistancebands 20 used simultaneously.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the channels 1 are differently sized toaccommodate bands 20 of different thicknesses. For example, if there arethree channels 1 in the shoe sole 10, there would be one “small” channel1, one “medium” channel 1, and one “large” channel 1. Any conceivablecombination of channel 1 sizes for any number of channels 1 may be usedin the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a band 20 is shown inserted into a channel 1 ofa shoe sole 10. The band 20 is depicted within the channel 1 by dashedlines. As shown in the preferred embodiment, the channel 1 is acylindrical tube with parallel edges. This allows a user the maximumnumber of band 20 positions available for the various range-of-motionmovements and exercises possible. The adjacent, unoccupied channel 1 isalso parallel to the channel 1 occupied by a band 20 so that whenoccupied, the combined resistance of the bands 20 is cumulative of bothbands 20, rather than having one band 20 not be used to its maximumresistance. Additionally, the top surface 9 of the shoe sole 10 can beseen. Top surface 9 is affixed to the shoe's upper (not shown).

The present invention is described above in terms of a preferredillustrative embodiment of a specifically-described shoe tread. Thoseskilled in the art will recognize that alternative constructions of suchan apparatus can be used in carrying out the present invention. Otheraspects, features, and advantages of the present invention may beobtained from a study of this disclosure and the drawings, along withthe appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A sole for exercising with at least one resistance band,the sole comprising: at least one channel extending substantiallyhorizontally through the sole, said at least one channel providing an atleast one channel opening for removably receiving said at least oneresistance band; and at least one flange extending to define said atleast one channel opening, wherein said at least one flange ispositioned between a bottom sole surface and said at least one channelsurface to substantially retain said at least one resistance band withinsaid channel.
 2. The sole of claim 1 wherein: said at least one channelhas an inner diameter greater than said at least one channel opening;and said inner diameter is sized to retain said at least one resistanceband within said channel.
 3. The sole of claim 2 wherein said innerdiameter of said at least one channel is differently sized from anothersaid at least one channel.
 4. The sole of claim 1 wherein said at leastone flange is substantially pliable to allow inserting of said at leastone resistance band within said channel.
 5. The sole of claim 1 whereinsaid at least one channel is positioned substantially near the center ofthe sole.
 6. The sole of claim 1 wherein said at least one channelsurface is substantially cylindrical.
 7. The sole of claim 1 whereinsaid at least one channel extends between a medial side opening and alateral side opening.
 8. The sole of claim 1 wherein said at least oneresistance band can move laterally within said at least one channel. 9.An article of footwear for exercising with at least one resistance band,the article of footwear comprising an upper and a sole structure securedto the upper, the sole structure comprising: at least one channelextending substantially horizontally through said sole, said at leastone channel providing an at least one channel opening for removablyreceiving said at least one resistance band; at least one flangeextending to define said at least one channel opening, wherein said atleast one flange is positioned between said bottom surface and said atleast one channel surface to substantially retain said at least oneresistance band within said channel; and a top sole surface opposing abottom sole surface, said top sole surface affixed to an upper of saidarticle of footwear.
 10. The article of footwear of claim 7 wherein:said at least one channel has an inner diameter greater than said atleast one channel opening; and said inner diameter is sized to retainsaid at least one resistance band within said channel.
 11. The articleof footwear of claim 8 wherein: said inner diameter of said at least onechannel is differently sized from another said at least one channel. 12.The article of footwear of claim 7 wherein said at least one flange issubstantially pliable to allow inserting of said at least one resistanceband within said channel.
 13. The article of footwear of claim 7 whereinsaid at least one channel surface is substantially cylindrical.
 14. Thearticle of footwear of claim 7 wherein said at least one channel extendsbetween a medial side opening and a lateral side opening.
 15. Thearticle of footwear of claim 7 wherein said at least one resistance bandcan move laterally within said at least one channel.
 16. A method ofusing at least one resistance band with an article of footwear having asole structure comprising at least one channel with at least one channelopening, the method comprising steps of: positioning said at least oneresistance band directly below said at least one channel opening;forcing said at least one resistance band through said at least onechannel opening past an at least one flange until said at least oneflange deforms to retain said at least one resistance band within saidat least one channel, with said at least one resistance band exiting amedial side opening and a lateral side opening, and then returns to aresting position of said at least one flange; moving said at least oneresistance band laterally to position said at least one resistance bandin a proper position for an exercise; repeating each of the above stepsagain if there is another at least one resistance band needing insertioninto at least one channel; completing said exercise; forcing said atleast one resistance band out of said at least one channel through saidat least one channel opening past an at least one flange until said atleast one resistance band is completely removed out of said at least onechannel; and repeating the above step until each of the at least onechannels is devoid of all at least one resistance bands.